Peeling of fruits and vegetables.



PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907,

\ APPLioATIoN FILED 113.23, 1907.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

VIRGINIA J. MONTE, OF WOODLAND, CALIFORNIA, ADMINISTRATRIX OF CIPRIANO D. MONTE, 'DEOEASED Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2 5, 1907.

Application tiled February 23, 1907- Serial NO- 353,834-

10 (all whom/it vim/ y concern:

Be it known that OIPEIANO D. MONTE, deceased, who was a citizen of United States andresided at Woodland, in the county of Yolo, and State of California, did invent new and useful Improvements in the Peeling of Fruits and Vegetables, of which. the following is a specification. i

My invention relatesto a new and useful process of peeling fruits and vegetables by first subjecting them to the action of a solution whereby the skins are first loosened from the meat, and then removed by the force of hydraulic or other jets after which the peeled fruit or vegetable is subjected to a bath of cold water for the purpose of cleansing the fruit and eliminating any remaining traces of solution, and removing any adhering particles of skin.. y If the fruits or vegetables under treatment are under-ripe, the temperature of the final fluid bath is raised for the purpose of blanching said fruit or vegetable.

The essential objects of the present invention are, to provide a simple and effective process for quickly removing the skins from fruits and vegetables in a commercial manner, and to sterilize the peeled fruits or vegetables and prepare the same for the subsequent operation of canning.

The drawing illustrates diagrammatically one form of apparatus by which my process may be carried out.

My process is a plicable to all kinds of fruits such as peac es, apricots, pears, etc., and vegetables, such as tomatces,beets and the like. Drupaceous fruits, such as peaches and apricots, are usually pitted before being subjected to my process this pitting being done by any of the methods now employed for this purpose, and usually after the fruit has been graded as to size, variety and condi-v tion. In giving out fruit to operatives for halving and pitting, or to pitting machines, the largest size and best fruit should be first given to be followed by lower grades in sequence. The operatives usually make five (5) grades,`viz:-perfect green fruit; imperfect greenfruit; ripe and sound perfect fruit;

ripe imperfect fruit; and pie or lowest grade of fruit.

The fruit having been first graded in the manner well known in this art, the high grade is 'preferably first treated, then the succeed ing lower grades, leaving the lowest grade to the last this is because the sound green fruit usually requires a greater length of treatment at certain stages in the process, than the soft ripe fruit, so that by the time the higher grade has been treated, the solution which I use in my process las I will presently explain is about right for the next lower grade yof fruit.

Whatever the grade of fruit, said fruit# halved in the case of drupaceous fruits-is dumped into a tank A containing a heated solution, as caustic soda, which attacks the skin-of the fruit and breaks and loosens the same. The solution tank, A, should have a conveyer, A', or other means for causing the fruit to be advanced therethrough and to be finally delivered out of the tank and upon a movable carrier, B, which, in practice, is

best made of some open-Work or reticulated construction, said carrier having either a shaking motion or an endless travel over suitably placed drums at the ends, and being driven at any appropriate speed from any desired point and source of power. the fruit having been loosened by the action of the solution, the fruit is next brought, in a layer one deep, into the range of action of appropriate opposed or other jets I), b', of water, which impinge with more orv less force upon all sides of the fruit, forcibly remove the now loosened skins piece after piece, and thor.

oughly rinse the peeled fruit. The extent of spraying will, of course depend upon the condition of the fruit being treated, because if the fruit is over-ripe it can stand less spray.- ing and less force from the jets than when the fruit is reener or firmer, but in any event the force 0% the jets will be so regulated that while sufficient for all peeling and cleansing purposes, it should not be sufficient to tear or mutilate the meat.

The extent of the zone wherein the fruit is The skin of IOO be maintained at that point. Having thus peeled the fruit by the combined action of the solution and Huid-jet means, Inext subject the peeled fruit to the action of a coldwater bath in a tank D, for the purpose of cleansing the fruit and eliminating therefrom any remaining traces of the solution, and any particlesv of loose skin that may still adhere to the fruit. The fruit is now ready for the can, having been thoroughly washed, and peeled so that it is absolutely clean from a sanitary point.

It is well recognized in the art of canning that the condition of the fruit received from the growers, governs the quality produced. In the case ot peaches, ior instance, ii' they are sound, ripe and free from blemishes, there will be but a small aniount of waste and very little labor necessary, but il' the fruit is decayed7 sealy, or full of iungous growths, it will require more labor in grading, peeling and removing such blemishes. (.onsequently the great advantage of my process over the hand method lies in the saving of labor, peeling and size. The saving in labor v aries according to the amount paid for hand work but has averaged l cents per 50 lbs. ol' fruit. In peeling by hand` the waste in peeling amounts to about i232- lbs. to lbs. of fruit or approximatelyY There is also the saving in size ol the fruit. A .l peach When peeled by hand will not measure more tha-n 2 on the average; when peeled by my process the peach comes out approximately its original size, (it the lruit is properly graded as before explained). By thus retaining the size ol' the fruit. a higher grade of canned product is obtained as the low grades are always the smaller in size. Also, by removing only the thin lilm.representing the peel, those properties ol' the fruit which lie nearest the skin and contribute so largely to the natural taste ot the fruit, are retained thus improving the eating qualities of the canned product.

The three essential points therefore ot' saving in labor, peeling and 'size are important inestimating the economies ot' my process over the hand method.

The operation on vegetables is substantially the same as on fruits. In vegetables like tomatoes it is not necessary to grade them in the first instance. It the tomatoes are sound, and iree from` blemishes they come out peeled and whole, it being understood that the amount of solution in the tank A, and the force of the sprays will be governed by the condition ot the tomatoes or other vegetable, or Jfruit, undergoing treatment. It the fruits or vegetables beingl treated are unripe, I heat the water in the tank I), which tank is shown having a heating coil D', for the purpose of blanching this unripe fruit.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. The process herein described of peeling iruits and vegetables which process consists in subjecting the fruit or vegetable to a bath of disintegrating solution 'for the purpose o loosening the skin thereof; and then passing the fruit into the range of action ol' hydraulic sprays of sutiicient force to remove the loosened skin.

2. The process herein described of peeling fruits and vegetables said process consist-ing in subjecting the fruit or vegetable to a bath ol disintegrating solution l'or the purpose of loosening and breaking the skin ol the l'ruit, or vegetable: then passing the fruit or vegetable into the range of action oi' opposed hydraulic sprays of sutlicient i'orce to remove the' loosened skin; and then subjecting the peeled fruit or vegetable to a Huid bath ol' low temperature for the purpose ot' eliminating any remaining traces of solution.

The process herein described ot' peeling fruits and Vegetables said process consisting of the subjection of the fruit or vegetable to a bath ot disintegrating solution whereby the skin of the fruit or vegetable is broken and loosened: then passing the l'ruit or vegetable into the range of action ot opposed hydraulic sprays of sufficient torce to detach the loosened skin; then washing the peeled fruit or vegetable in cold water to eliminateany remaining traces of solution, and, it the truit or vegetable is unripe, heating this Vfinal bath to blanch the fruit or vegetable.

4. The. process herein described of peeling fruits and vegetables, which process consists in subjecting the fruit or vegetable to the action of a disintegrating solution having the capacity to disintegrate and loosen the skin thereof, and then subjecting the 'fruit or vegetable so treated to the action ol' fluid sprays and substantially cordinately therewith imparting motionto the fruit or vegetable.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VIRGINIA J MONTE, Adminiatmtri of the estate 0f Cipriano D.

filon-tc, deceased.

I'Vitnesses:

CHAs. E. ToWNysEND, FREDERICK E. MAYNARD IOO IIO 

